As expected, Mark Barberio has taken his talents to Switzerland after seeing his time with the Colorado Avalanche come to an end. The depth defenseman has signed a three-year deal with Lausanne HC of the NLA, meaning he may well never suit up again in the NHL.
Barberio, 30, already found himself in the press box more often than on the ice, playing just 21 games in the NHL this season. Signed to a two-year, $2.9MM deal after a solid 2017-18 campaign, he’d suit up just 33 more times for the Avalanche and record just three points over two years. A sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, Barberio totaled 272 regular-season games in the NHL, tallying 56 points. He was a much more effective weapon in the minor leagues, earning the 2012 Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman and being named to the All-Star team four times.
It will be interesting to see exactly how well Barberio’s game translates to the Swiss league, where many different systems are employed and scoring is generally lower. Pius Suter, who just signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, was the league’s MVP in 2019-20, barely edging out former NHL forward Mark Arcobello in the league scoring race.
For now, you can forget about Barberio as a potential option in the NHL. He’ll be 33 by the time this contract expires and he could return to North America.
He will not be missed.